The first question when buying gloves should be whether your hands get numb, as 80% of all cyclists have problems here. In this case, a BioXCell glove from Chiba helps:
The BioXCell padding consists of an ergonomic 2-level special gel cushion that lies over the ulnar nerve in the palm area. The almost 0.8 cm thick ergonomic padding optimally protects the ulnar nerve. At the same time, the pressure points of the handlebars on the hand are changed and the pressure on the middle of the hand or carpal tunnel is greatly reduced. With BioXCell from Chiba, the numbness in the hands is gone in 80% of cases. If there are still problems with the hands despite BioXCell, the handlebars and grip position must be changed in addition to the gloves. Please also make sure that the glove is not too big, as in this case the ergonomic BioXCell padding is not positioned correctly (it is too far out) and does not work properly.
Why do the hands get numb?
The hand is traversed by two central nerve tracts, the ulnar nerve and the carpal nerve. When carpal tunnel syndrome is used colloquially, several problems are usually lumped together. As can be seen in the drawing, the ulnar nerve leads to the outer ball of the hand to the little and ring fingers. It is not as sensitive to bending the hand, but is negative to pressure in the ball of the hand. With racing bike handlebars in particular, the pressure on the outer palm and thus on the ulnar nerve is maximum. This pressure leads to numbness and weaknesses in the hand muscles.
A second source of problems is the central nerve (median nerve). It runs through a narrow tunnel in the wrist (carpal tunnel). Pressure and bending the hand leads to the well-known carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome leads to numbness and weaknesses in the thumb, middle and forefinger. In severe cases, the numbness disappears long after the bike tour or gets worse overnight, as the tissue of the hand tends to swell slightly at night.
In summary, one can say:
90% of the pain and numbness in the hands are due to the following reasons:
1. Pressure on the ulnar nerve that supplies the small and ulnar part of the ring finger.
2.Pressure on the carpal tunnel (supplies the remaining fingers)
3. Unnatural bent position of the hand in the wrist.
4. Shocks and vibrations that irritate tendons and nerves.
